Forbes, John Murray (1771–1831)
Forbes, John Murray (1771–1831)
John Murray Forbes (b. 13 August 1771; d. 14 June 1831), U.S. diplomatic and commercial agent. Originally assigned to commercial posts in Europe, in 1820 Forbes was appointed by the State Department to serve as commercial attaché in Buenos Aires, where he remained until his death. His public and private correspondence provides an eyewitness account of the turbulent period following Argentine independence. Forbes described the anarchy among the independent Río de la Plata republics, including rivalry among contending provincial rulers, the presidency of Bernardino Rivadavia, and the rise to power of Juan Manuel de Rosas, all part of the ongoing conflict between Buenos Aires and the provinces over the issue of national consolidation. Forbes also followed events in the rest of South America, and was particularly observant of the British presence in the Río de la Plata region.
See alsoRivadavia, Bernardino; Río de la Plata.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
John Murray Forbes, Once años en Buenos Aires, 1820–1831 (1956).
Harold F. Peterson, Argentina and the United States, 1810–1960 (1964).
Additional Bibliography
Fernández Cistac, Roberto. Caudillos e intelectuales de la Argentina tradicional. Mar del Plata, Argentina: EH, Fondo Editorial: "Esto es Historia," 2001.
Hilary Burger